


Famous Last Words

by misura



Category: The Firm (TV)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 13:23:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17407712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "You can't be serious," Mitch said.





	Famous Last Words

"You can't be serious," Mitch said. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting: threats, probably.

One last conversation with Joey Morolto before the Moroltos and McDeeres would part ways forevermore, definitely.

Instead, _this_.

"It's a good plan." Patrick either had the grace to look just a little bit apologetic or he figured Mitch might feel more agreeable about the whole thing if he faked it.

"No, it's not," Mitch said. "It's a bad plan. It's a terrible plan. Heck, it's not even a plan. Look, Joey, we had a deal. I held up my end."

Patrick cleared his throat. "Strictly speaking - "

It dawned on Mitch that this was not, in fact, Joey's plan. Strictly speaking.

"Hey," Joey said, "you don't like it, you can always run. See how long it takes me to find you."

Mitch sighed. Compared to keeping a suspected murderer out of prison, this was nothing. Personal and embarrassing and unpleasant, but in the end, nobody'd get hurt. "Fine. We have a deal."

 

"You're going to fake-date Joey Morolto?"

To Ray's credit, he didn't sound like he thought it was funny.

"I believe the expression people use is 'the lesser of two evils'," Mitch said.

Ray's grimace about said it all.

 

Joey still called him 'Mitch'. Mitch called him 'Mr Morolto' the first time they met after the new deal, to emphasize how very much he didn't want to be here, then realized his mistake.

"So tell me about your most recent case," Joey said, leaning back and looking smug as a somewhat resigned looking Sal went off to fetch Mitch a drink.

"I'm not going to tell you about my cases," Mitch said. "That wasn't the deal."

Joey made a 'fine, be like that' gesture. With the problem of the Russians dealt with for the moment, Mitch supposed he could afford to relax and waste time of petty vengeance. "Sports? The weather?"

Refusing to discuss the weather would be a bit childish, Mitch supposed.

Sal returned and went back to eyeing Mitch half like he suspected Mitch was about to pull out a gun and take a shot at Joey (tempting idea, but not his style and also very bad for his life expectancy) and half like he worried about Mitch talking Joey into doing something legal and noble.

 

"Far as his family's concerned, either he's screwing you, or you're screwing him," Ray said. "The first, they're more or less okay with. The second, not so much."

"We had drinks and talked about baseball."

Ray shrugged. "Doesn't matter. So did he try to - you know?"

"Again," Mitch said, "we had drinks and talked about baseball." He didn't think Joey would go so far as to insist Mitch would actually - "It's just business, Ray. Patrick's idea."

"Huh," Ray said. "Well, I mean, making everyone believe he's turned you into his bitch is one way to get them all to think he's not letting you off too easy for putting his dad in jail. I'll give him that."

"You mean, a better way than murdering all of us in our beds."

"Nah. Mafia guys won't touch you in your own home. It's against their code. They prefer public assassinations. Looks better on the news, too."

"Great," Mitch said. "So if things go sideways, we can always simply never leave the house again. Good to know we've got a plan B."

Ray shrugged again. "Maybe. Maybe not. Russians don't mind hitting people's homes. Neither do the Feds. Evil corporate people. The drug cartels."

"I don't think we managed to piss off any drug cartels, recently."

"Give it time," Ray said.

 

"What am I doing here?"

The two of them were in Joey's office in the back of Roma, door shut, two of Joey's goons parked outside to keep people out (or one specific person in, maybe).

"Relax," Joey said.

"This is a waste of my time." Joey's efforts to tarnish his professional reputation notwithstanding, Mitch did still have clients. Respectable, honest, innocent clients, who deserved a good defense. "Of both our times," he added, in case that might make an actual impression.

"You mean you're stuck here and can't do any of the things you want to be doing?" Joey said. "Is that what you're saying, Mitch? Is that your complaint?"

Mitch decided now was not the right time for round #368 of Why It Wasn't My Fault Your Father Ended Up In Prison. "I just don't understand what I'm doing here," he said.

"My men, they think I'm fucking you. They think that's my revenge."

"It's not." Mitch made it sound like a rock-solid certainty. He told himself it was true. Rape wasn't Joey's style. Public assassinations and having people tied to a chair and beaten to a pulp, sure, but not rape.

"It doesn't matter," Joey said. "What matters is what they think. You see, Mitch, when people believe something, they'll talk about it. They're going to tell other people. Word gets around."

Mitch imagined someone like Alan Harper being told Mitch was -

"Sure, you could run," Joey went on. "Go back into WitPro. Get a new name. You might be safe that way, but I promise you that if you do, I'm going to destroy Mitch McDeere. You come out of the program in ten, fifteen years, you'll have nothing. Nobody'll hire you. Nobody'll trust you. _That's_ my revenge. Much more satisfying than killing you. And the best part is, I don't even need to break the law to get it."

"Patrick's idea." Mitch felt cold.

Joey smirked. "You could think of it as him saving your life."

 

Ray considered. "We could run now. I mean, hard to make it look like some guy's sleeping with you when he's not around. Not ideal, but it's possible."

"No," Mitch said. "We can fight this. Somehow. Joey's pretty much admitted he wants to lay low, stay out of trouble with the law. That gives us an opening. This thing with the Russians - it's not over. He can't afford any distractions right now."

"Seems like he feels he can afford at least one."

Mitch frowned. "There must be some way we can use the situation to our advantage."

"Well, if there's anyone you want dead, you might try batting your eyes and asking your mafia boyfriend to take care of them."

"Funny," Mitch said.

"Not actually," Ray said. "Guess you hadn't heard, but Alex Clark got into a car accident yesterday. She's still alive. Barely."

On the one hand, Mitch felt she deserved it. Call him petty, or callous, but if anyone'd had some bad karma coming their way, it had to be Alex.

On the other hand: "Jesus. And you think Joey's responsible."

"Either that, or it's one hell of a coincidence," Ray said. "You want to ask him?"

 

"You're welcome," Joey looked relaxed, calm. In full control of the situation.

His men barely even seemed to notice Mitch's presence. He could have walked in here with a gun, or a bomb, or anything, and nobody would have stopped him. They all assumed he was unarmed and harmless, just Joey's pet lawyer come visiting.

Mitch could demand they move to Joey's office, where he might get to talk to a Joey somewhat less concerned with keeping up appearances, but what would be the point? It wouldn't change anything.

"Did I ever ask you to - " Mitch choked. He felt furious and helpless at the same time.

Joey offered him a faint smile. "I've got at least three people who'll say you did." Of course he did.

Sal hovered nearby. Joey gestured and he left.

Mitch sat down, trying to think, to come up with something, anything to do.

"See, Mitch, it all fits together," Joey went on. "You were disappointed she got away. Hell, when I heard about the way things worked out, _I_ was disappointed. The great American justice system in action. Who could blame you for wanting to make things right? That's what Mitch McDeere is all about, isn't he? Justice. Doing the right thing, no matter what."

Violence was a bad idea, Mitch thought. Throwing a drink into Joey's face wouldn't get him anywhere. "Not like that."

"No?" Joey asked. "Tell me, Mitch. What would you give me to spare her life? What would you do for me if I promised not to have her killed in her hospital bed?"

"Nothing." Mitch tried to sound firm. "You kill Alex Clark, that's on you." He should have worn a wire, he thought. Any sort of recording device, and he'd be able to take it to Louis, get Joey out of his life for a long time.

Of course, the rest of Joey's family would be none too happy with that.

"Drink?" Joey sipped his own.

Mitch imagined reaching across the table and strangling him. As far as plans went, it was monumentally stupid, but as a fantasy, it offered enormous satisfaction. "No thanks."

"You get it, don't you, Mitch? There's nothing you can do. I'm holding all the cards."

"Not all of them," Mitch said, thinking.

"No? Surprise me," Joey invited. "What do you think you can do right now?"

Mitch kissed him.

 

"Not sure if playing gay chicken with the Italian mob boss is really the best way to go here," Ray said.

Mitch felt drained. It hadn't been much of a kiss, as these things went. It hadn't set his world on fire or anything. It had improved near the end, when Joey'd started to kiss him back for a couple of seconds, until he'd apparently remembered he and Mitch were only fake-dating. "Were you able to find out anything more about Alex?"

"Forget about Alex," Ray said. "Alex isn't a problem. Joey Morolto? He's a problem. Also possibly bisexual, so you may want to tread careful there. My guy's pretty sure that Joey likes guys as much as girls. Maybe more, but he's Italian mob and they're a conservative bunch, so."

"So I'm not going to play gay chicken with him." That hadn't been the plan, anyway. It had been _a_ plan, but not _the_ plan. "All I'm going to do is act the way people expect me to."

Ray's expression was skeptical. "You think dating the guy for real is somehow going to stop people from saying you are? How'd you figure that happening? Assuming Joey's even going to go for that."

"I have a plan," Mitch said.


End file.
